Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

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Easy Family Recipes, Drinks and Healthy Lifestyle

Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe (1)

By Robin Gagnon | Updated on

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Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies are a delightful bright addition to any cookie platter. They make a lovely contrast against chocolate and heavier drop style cookies. I'm sharing this lightly sweetand nutty lemon shortbread cookies recipe with you today, so you can enjoy them too.

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The combination of walnuts and Meyer lemon is a dessert favorite of mine and one my daughter seems to have inherited as well. I have a Walnut Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake recipe I'll be sharing next week. For me anyway, the rich meatiness of chopped walnuts are the perfect foil against the fragrance and tangy flavor of fresh Meyer lemons. This this shortbread cookie, these two flavors are certainly the stars.

Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe Preparation

These delightfully nutty lemon shortbread cookies are quite easy to make. You just need a little patience letting them chill before cutting, so you will have nice medallions. Full recipe below.

After mixing and lightly kneading the dough, it is split into two logs and refrigerated to firm up.

The Walnut Meyer Lemon shortbread cookie dough is carefully sliced and placed on parchment for baking.

The cookies stay true to their original shape during baking, just cool before serving or packing to give as gifts.

Walnut Meyer Lemon Cookies pair wonderfully with tea, but I have been enjoying them with coffee myself.

Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe (7)

Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Elegant Walnut Meyer Lemon Cookies are perfect with afternoon tea... or anytime.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Prep Time: 3 hours hours

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Servings: 30

Calories: 85kcal

Author: Robin Gagnon

Ingredients

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • cup confectionery sugar
  • 2 tbs fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • zest of 2 Meyer lemons
  • 2 cups flour
  • cup finely chopped walnuts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cream together the butter and sugar.

  • In a small separate bowl mix salt in lemon juice to dissolve then add to butter mixture along with the zest, and mix.

  • Add the flour and mix well, then fold in the walnuts as best you can.

  • Knead the dough lightly, enough to evenly distribute the walnuts, then split in half and roll into two logs about 2 inches thick. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 ½ to 3 hours to firm up.

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

  • Cut each cookie dough log into slices about ⅜" thick. Arrange on parchment. These shortbread cookies will not expand much at all, but leave a little space between them.

  • Bake for 11-12 minutes, then remove to rack to cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 20mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.5mg


Related Posts

  • Walnut Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe

  • Rhode Island Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Shortbread Cookies Recipe

  • Lemon Walnut Biscotti Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sonja says

    My husband and I just received a letterbox of fresh picked Meyer Lemons! Of course I my mind went racing and my husband he it was time to go golfing and leave me to my lemon dreams.
    I immediately went hunting on the web for anything an everything Meyer Lemon. That's when I found this recipe!
    I followed the recipe the T and they were everything I hoped they would be! My whole family has a new favorite!
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Robin Gagnon says

      I am so glad. These shortbread cookies are a favorite of mine.

      Reply

  2. Allison says

    I found the recipe too crumbly the first time. Added a tablespoon of vodka, and now they are perf.

    Reply

    • jgp says

      Why Vodka?

      Reply

      • Robin Gagnon says

        This is actually a trick many bakers use to make dough easier to work. It evaporates faster than water, and the alcohol dissipates. While, I didn't have trouble with this shortbread dough, it is a good hack should you run into this issue on this recipe or in the future. I've done it with pie crust to reduce fat, yet maintain flakiness.

        Reply

        • Jgp says

          Thank you!

  3. Sarah says

    These aren't bad but I wouldn't make them as is ever again as written. The one thing I changed was I toasted the walnuts, I always toast my nuts, it just makes them taste nuttier.

    At least for my husband and I these are just too sharply sweet, I'm pretty sure the powdered sugar is to blame for that. I get the point of using it for these cookies as they'll easily meld into the dough, but it just gives them a slightly off and kind of floury/Dusty flavor, and no my powdered sugar isn't old. With the mention of them being lightly sweet my husband and I were shocked at how sweet they tasted.

    I think they need a little depth, I'd personally remove some of the powdered sugar and add a little brown sugar. Or replace it entirely with some Demerara run through a coffee grinder to give it a similar texture to powdered sugar. That would give the cookies the slight.... roundness they're missing and hopefully better balance the sharpness.

    To Make these more eatable for my husband and I grabbed some Meyer lemon glaze I already have and have them a very thin coating and that made them much better.

    If you are looking for a slightly flavored shortbread you can dunk, they would probably be fine, minus a touch of the sugar. For us that was the biggest issue.

    This is just my opinion, I do bake a lot and make a decent amount of shortbread, but your mileage may vary.

    Reply

  4. jgp says

    Can the rolls be frozen for use at a later time when Meyer lemons aren't available?

    Reply

    • Robin Gagnon says

      Yes. I have frozen logs of shortbread dough often. A full batch is too much to have around for my small family.

      Reply

  5. Liz says

    I would have never thought of using this combination of ingredients, but your recipe intrigued me! I love shortbread and this was a fabulous recipe! Thanks so much!

    Reply

  6. Beth says

    Made these last weekend. I was so lucky to run into some Meyer lemons at my favorite grocery store! The cookies were delicious!! We love shortbread cookies!!

    Reply

  7. FWM says

    One star is a compliment. One of the worst tasting things I have ever made (and I'm a good baker). Even used fresh Meyer lemons (went out of my way to find them). Salty and bitter. Threw them out. Never again.

    Reply

  8. Patti says

    Super easy to make. I had two meyer lemons to use up from a small tree I am growing. I am at higher elevation ( high desert) so i added in a bit more lemon juice as the water content in my flour is low and if anything my doughs are more on the dry side.
    Very tasty - perfect amount of tart lemon to sweet ratio. I took the advice of FWM and used 1/4 tsp salt ( the 3/4 did seem like a lot ) and just slightly less walnuts ( personal preference - not a nut fan in my sweets ) and they turned out great. The only odd thing is I had to bake them for twice the recommended bake time ( around 22 - 23 minutes ). At the 11 minute mark they were still soft and not cooked at all. The kitchen did not start to smell like baking cookies until at least 18 minutes in. I cut them the recommended thickness. Shrug. Thanks for a great easy recipe.

    Reply

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Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe (14)

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Walnut Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put shortbread in the fridge before baking? ›

Why do you put shortbread cut-out cookies in the fridge before baking? This is to resolidify the butter. The butter is at room temperature when making the dough resulting in a soft dough. If baked straight away, the butter would melt away immediately when hitting the hot oven and the shortbread would spread.

What is the difference between sugar butter and shortbread cookies? ›

The main difference between these two cookies is the ingredients and the ratios of the ingredients. Sugar cookies typically contain eggs, while shortbread cookies do not. Shortbread also has a higher ratio of butter to flour and are usually more crumbly and tender as a result.

Are shortbread or sugar cookies better for decorating? ›

But if you're looking for a cookie for cutouts, sugar cookies have the highest ratio of flour to fat, giving them a very sturdy dough. Sugar cookies also hold their shapes well for decorative work and ship nicely, too.

What are common mistakes when making shortbread? ›

The most common mistakes when making shortbread are over-working the dough, and incorporating too much flour. The less you work the dough, the more crumbly and melt-in-your-mouth your shortbread cookies will be.

What is the secret to good shortbread? ›

Tips To Make the Best Shortbread Cookies
  • Choose High Quality Butter. No matter what brand of butter you buy, if it's real butter, you can rest assured that it's the best. ...
  • Keep Ingredients Simple. ...
  • Add Flavor. ...
  • Don't Overwork. ...
  • Shape Dough. ...
  • Chill Before Baking. ...
  • Bake Until Golden. ...
  • Add Finishing Touches.

Is salted or unsalted butter better for shortbread cookies? ›

Butter – You'll need salted butter that's at room temperature. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour to bring the butter to room temperature, so make sure you give yourself enough time. If you don't have salted butter, unsalted butter will also work, simply add about ¼ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.

Do you use salted or unsalted butter in shortbread? ›

Unsalted butter for best results

These days salted butter is of equal quality to unsalted, however using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of salt in the cookies which enhances the flavour but can be overpowering in a delicately flavoured cookie.

Why use unsalted butter in shortbread? ›

If you're wondering why recipes usually call for unsalted butter even though they just add the salt back in it's because different brands of butter use different amounts of salt. Calling for unsalted butter is just a way of helping to ensure similar results no matter which brands of ingredients you use.

Should butter be cold for shortbread? ›

Should butter be cold or room temperature for making shortbread? Always start with cold butter straight from the refrigerator. This will keep the dough from warming up, making it greasy and difficult to roll out.

What is the difference between a spritz cookie and a shortbread cookie? ›

Spritz cookies are tender and have an enriched dough.

You can take most spritz cookie and shortbread recipes and side by side the only difference in ingredients is a single egg. An egg doesn't seem like anything extraordinary, but in a recipe with only four other ingredients, that single egg changes a lot.

What's the difference between shortbread and shortcake? ›

Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder. Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture. Shortcake and shortbread biscuits are delicious on their own, with fruit and cream, or simply topped with a delicate dusting of sugar.

Should I refrigerate shortbread cookie dough before baking? ›

Step 3: The Secret to the Absolute Best Shortbread

After shaping the cookies, don't rush to the oven! Instead, chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so (overnight is OK, too).

What happens if you don't chill shortbread dough? ›

But in this shortbread cookie recipe, it really makes a difference. Chilling the dough helps the cookies hold their shape. If you don't chill your shortbread dough, the cookies will spread as they bake.

Should shortbread be cold before baking? ›

Baking Shortbread Cookies

Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar evenly over each cookie. The dough should still be cool and firm to the touch. If it's not, chill both sheet pans in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before baking.

Do you have to put shortbread in the fridge? ›

I find it easier to set it in the fridge as it's much quicker, but that is optional. If you set it at room temperature, then it will take longer but it will be easier to portion.

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